Window envelope for selectively exposing and concealing mailing addresses on an enclosure



N 9, 1966 s. J. BENZ, JR 3,288,351

WINDOW ENVELOPE FOR SELECTIVELY EXPOSING AND CONCEALING MAILING ADDRESSES ON AN ENCLOSURE Filed April 8, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet l .nllmull hlg INVENTOR.

fifep/z en 1 Benz, Jr: BY

fixamm ATTORNEK Nvv- 9, 1966 s. J. BENZ, JR 3,288,351

WINDOW ENVELOPE FOR SELECTIVELY EXPOSING AND CONCEALING MAILING ADDRESSES ON AN ENCLOSURE Filed April 8, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 w INVENTOR.

fifeplmn J Benz,

A ORNEY.

Nov. 29, 1966 5, J, BENZ, JR 3,288,351

WINDOW ENVELOPE FOR SELEGTIVELY EXPOSING AND CONCEALING MAILING ADDRESSES ON AN ENCLOSURE 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 8, 1965 u NES E U RT T W 4 BMwN A|A INVENTOR. fifepkm J Hafiz, dz:

fM. MW

A TTORNEY.

United States Patent 3,288,351 WINDOW ENVELOPE FOR SELECTIVELY EXPOS- ING AND CQNCEALING MAILING ADDRESSES ON AN ENCLOSURE Stephen .1. Benz, Jr., Memphis, Tenn., assignor to Tension Envelope Corporation, Kansas City, Mo., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 8, 1965, Ser. No. 446,560 4 Claims. (Cl. 229-71) This invention relates to a window envelope for containing an enclosure having a plurality of addresses thereon, whereby one of the addresses is used as the mailing address of the envelope. For example, an enclosure such as a truck, air line, or railroad freight bill, pro bill, bill of lading, or copies thereof, bears the name and address of the shipper as well as the name and address of the consignee, and the bill is sent by the carrier to one or the other depending upon whether the service of the carrier is to be paid by the shipper or the consignee.

In the past, this has required carriers to purchase two stocks of envelopes identical in size, style and printing, but one stock of envelopes must have a window positioned according to the location of the consignors or shippers name and address on the bill of lading, and the other stock of envelopes must have the window located according to the position of the consignees or receivers name and address, so that envelopes from the first stock are used for prepaid shipments and envelopes from the second stock are used for collect shipments.

This has caused problems for the envelope users due to inventory control of the stocks of envelopes. If the use of one or the other stock of envelopes is small, the user is required in many instances to pay a higher cost for the smaller volume of envelopes for that use. Also, it is extremely difiicult for the user to anticipate the volume of either stock which might be required in conducting its business.

Therefore, it is the principal object of the present invention to provide a single envelope constructed to expose through a window thereof one of the addresses and to conceal the other, so that only a single stock of envelopes is needed by the user.

A further object of the invention is to provide a window envelope in which the enclosure may be inserted and still provide room above the window portions or means for the users return address and space to apply postage in the proper place, while at the same time retaining the enclosure immovable within the envelope.

Since the names and addresses of the consignor and consignee usually appear in alignment on the right and left sides of the bill, the window or windows are correspondingly located in the envelope to expose the name and address to be used, and a further object of the invention is to provide the envelope with internal flaps to cover the address which is not to be used.

It is a further object of the invention to provide the internal flaps with appropriate printing to assure proper insertion of the bill when the bill is to be sent to the consignee or the consignor.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention as hereinafter described, I have provided an improved envelope construction, the preferred form of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, where- 1n:

To illustrate a use for the envelope of the present invention,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bill of lading having a heading bearing the consignors name and address on the lefthand side and the name and address of the consignee on the righthand side.

3,288,351 Patented Nov. 29, 1966 FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the envelope blank of the present invention, with the side flaps and back panel partly folded to better illustrate the construction thereof, the envelope formed therefrom, when completed, being adapted to enclose the bill of lading shown in FIG. 1, so that the bill of lading may be sent to either the consignor or consignee, depending upon whether the services of the carrier are prepaid or to be collected upon delivery of the shipment. 7

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the rear face of the completed envelope as it appears prior to insertion of the bill of lading, portions of the envelope being broken away to better illustrate the adhesive whereby the bill of lading is supported with the addresses thereon in alignment with the windows and the adhesive that secures the back panel to the side flaps.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the front face of the envelope illustrated in FIG. 3 and showing the dual windows therein.

FIG. 5 is a slightly modified form of the envelope shown in FIG. 3 and illustrating the insertion of the bill of lading.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the front face of the envelope of FIG. 3, ready for mailing to the consignor whose name and address appears in the righthand window.

FIG. 7 is a cross section through the envelope, taken on the line 77 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a horizontal section through the windows of FIG. 6 but showing the bill of lading in position for the consignors name to appear in the window at the lefthand end of the envelope.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, and first to an enclosure to be inserted into the envelope such as the bill of lading illustrated in FIG. 1:

A bill of lading 1 consists of at least one rectangular panel 2, having a heading 3 bearing the carriers name and address 4, and areas 5 and 6 that in the present instance are located in a printed arrow and in which the names and addresses of a consignor and a consignee are typed or otherwise applied as indicated at 7 and 8, the consignors name and address being applied in the space 5 at the lefthand side and the consignees name and address being applied in the space 6 at the righthand side. Printed on the panel below the heading 3 is a blank form 9 in which is typed or otherwise applied information regarding a shipment, to conform with Interstate Commerce Commission regulations. Since, as above stated, the form 9 must be sufiiciently large to contain all of the necessary information regarding the shipment that is required by the Interstate Commerce Commission, the areas 5 and 6 are located relatively close to the top edge 10 of the panel. If desired, the bill of lading may be in the form of a strip folded in zigzag folds to provide the panel 2 and a plurality of panels 11 providing copies of the information entered on the panel 2.

The envelope of the present invention is formed from a single blank 12 (FIG. 2) shaped to provide a substantially rectangular front panel 13, side flaps 14 and 15 that are connected to the sides of the front panel by side folds 16 and 17, a substantially rectangular back panel 18 connected with the front panel by a transverse fold 19, and a closure flap 20 connected with the opposite edge of the front panel by a fold 21. The side flaps 14 and 15 when folded flatly against the inner face of the front panel, terminate in facing edges 22 and 23 slightly spaced apart to provide a slot at the center of the front panel. The edges 24 and 25 of the side flaps converge upwardly to join with the facing edges 22 and 23 so as to leave a space (FIG. 3) between the edges 24 and 25 and the fold 19. The opposite edges 26 and 27 of the side flaps also converge at a slight angle along the length of the fold 21 of the closure flap 20. The back panel 18 preferably has a depth less than the depth of the front panel 13, so that when it is folded over the side flaps 14 and 15, the edge 28 thereof terminates short of the edges 26 and 27 of the side flaps to expose areas 29 and 30 (FIGS. 3 and 5) of the side flaps, for a purpose later described. The back panel 18 is sealed to the side flaps 14 and 15 immediately adjacent the side folds 16 and 17 by adhesive 31 and 32, but the remainder of the flaps from the adhesive at the folds 16 and 17 are unattached and lie loosely between the front and back panels.

In the form of the invention illustrated in FIG. 3, the closure flap 20 is provided by a remoistenable adhesive 33 to seal the closure flap 20 to the back panel 18 when the closure flap is folded over the exposed areas 29 and 30 of the side flaps. The front and back panels 13 and 18 are of a width so that the spaces between the inner edges of the adhesives 31 and 32 and the opposite side folds 16 and 17 are slightly greater than the width of the bill of lading shown in FIG. 1.

The window portions of the envelope illustrated are provided in the front panel in the form of aligned and spaced apart windows 34 and 35, substantially conforming to the width of the address areas 5 and 6 on the bill of lading, to expose the name and address of the consignee or consignor when the bill of lading is placed in the envelope as later described.

If the envelope is of a depth corresponding to the depth of the bill of lading, it is obvious that the windows 34 and 35 must be located too close to the fold 19 of the envelope to leave an adequate space for the return address of the carrier and to properly locate the postage stamp. Therefore, to permit location of the windows 34 and 35 a suflicient distance from the fold 19 to properly accommodate the return address 36 and the postage 37, the total depth of the envelope is greater than the depth of the bill of lading, and the front and back panels 13 and 18 are connected together in the space below the edges 24 and 25 of the side flaps by an adhesive stripe 38 which extends across the envelope, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, so that the top edge 10 of the bill of lading 1 is stopped by and rests upon the connection of the back and front panels when the address areas of the bill of lading register with the windows 34 and 35. Thus the bill of lading is snugly retained between the adhesive 38 and the fold 21 of the closure flap 20, to prevent any shifting thereof that might cause displacement of the addresses in the windows of the front panel, and the windows may be located a distance from the fold 21 to properly accommodate the return address 36 and postage 37 as required by postal regulations.

The envelope of FIG. 5 is the same as the invention illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, except that the adhesive 39 on the closure flap is of a type that sticks to itself and the back panel has a strip of similar adhesive 40, and that the window portions 34 and 35 are joined together as one continuous opening.

The portions of the flaps 14 and 15 that extend into the envelope pocket 41 divide the respective ends thereof into compartments 42-43 and 44-45 interconnected by the slot formed between the edges 22 and 23 for manipulation of the bill of lading as now to be described.

In using the envelope of the present invention, it is determined how the shipment is to be charged, that is, either prepaid or collect. For example, if collect, the bill is sent to the consignee. With the closure flap 20 of the envelope open, the bill is inverted so that the address side thereof faces the closure flap and the edge 10 of the heading is in position to enter the pocket of the envelope. The name and address of the consignee will then be directly above the window 35. The flap 15 having the word collect 47 thereon will be pulled toward the inner face of the back panel 18, so that end of the bill will slide in front of the flap 15 into the compartment 44 with the edge thereof sliding down the inner face of the fold 17, and the other flap 14 will be pushed into contact with the inner face of the front panel so that end of the bill slides over the word prepaid 46 in back of the flap 14 and into the compartment 43 which is located between the side llap 14 and the back panel 18. The bill will thus pass between the edges 22 and 23 of the side flaps, as shown in FIG. 8. With the bill in this position, it will be pushed into the envelope until the edge 10 thereof seats against the connection between the front panel and the back panel that is provided by the adhesive 38. The bill is completely contained in the envelope in this position, with the upper edge thereof extending along the fold line 21, and the name and address 8 of the consignee will register with the window 35. The name and address 7 of the consignor will be covered with respect to the window 34 by the side flap 14 and the name and address of the consignee 8 will appear in the window 35 and provide the mailing address for the envelope. If desired, the portion of the side flap 14 that closes the window 34 may be provided with the words First Class Mail as indicated at 48 in FIGS. 4 and 6.

In the case of the envelope with the remoistening adhesive 33, the adhesive 33 will be moistened and the closure flap 20 is folded over and sealed to the back panel 18. The bill will then be held between the fold 21 of the closure flap and the connection between the front and back panels that is provided by the adhesive 38. The edge of the envelope formed by the fold 21 of the closure flap becomes the bottom of the envelope, and the edge formed by the fold 19 of the back panel 18 becomes the top of the envelope when the envelope is turned in the position shown in FIG. 6. The return address 36 of the carrier appears properly in the upper lefthand corner and a postage stamp or the equivalent 37 is applied to the upper ri-ghthand corner.

If the shipment is prepaid the bill is sent to the consignor. This time the edge 10 of the bill is positioned so that it slides over the word collect on the flap 15 into the compartment 45 and the opposite end of the bill is positioned to pass under the portion of the flap 14 marked prepaid into the compartment 42. Then 'when the bill is slid into the envelope with the edge 10 resting on the bottom connection formed by the adhesive 38, the name and address 7 of the consignor appears in the window 34 and the name and address 8 of the consignee is covered from the window 35 by the flap 15. The flap 15 may also be printed with the words First Class Mail as indicated at 49, 'which appear in the window 35.

It is obvious that by marking the exposed portions 29 and 30 of the flaps 14 and 15 with the words prepaid and collect, respectively, the bill may be inserted without error, since the words prepaid and collect" indicate how the bill is to be placed in the envelope and remove any doubt as to which flap 14 or 15 is to be lifted and which flap is to be held down to permit registry of the proper name and address to be used as the mailing address.

Since the closure flap 20 is located at one longitudinal edge of the envelope and the return address and postage are located at the opposite longitudinal edge, the envelope must be hand sealed and stamped. If conventional means is used for mechanically sealing and applying the postage, the envelope is passed through the sealing and metering machine twice, once for sealing of the closure flap and once [for applying the postage. However, a special mechanical sealing and stamping machine may be used so that only one passage of the envelope is required.

By using the envelope with the self-sealing adhesive as shown in FIG. 5, the time-consuming task of hand sealing or passing the envelope twice through the sealing equipment will be eliminated, and it will produce a positive seal regardless of the bulk enclosed.

From the foregoing, it is obvious that the envelope of the present invention eliminates the need of folding inserts such as freight bills, pro bills, bills of lading, or copies thereof, and removes any possibility of infraction of current postal regulations. Also, the envelope of the present invention permits the use of a single envelope regardless 0t whether the insert is to be sent to the shipper or receiver. The envelope of the present invention further allows high speed sealing whether or not sealing equipment is available.

While the invention is especially illustrated for use with bills of lading, it is to be understood that the envelope of the present invention may be used for other types of inserts having a plurality of addresses, either one of which may be used for the mailing address.

The drawings illustrate and the specification describes the panel having the side flaps 14 and 15 as being the front panel, however, it is obvious that the panel 18 may be provided with the windows 34 and 35 without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An envelope and an enclosure having different mailing addresses located on the enclosure in spaced apart substantially horizontal alignment,

said envelope including front and rear panels interconnected along one of the longitudinal edges and both side ends to provide a pocket for containing the enclosure,

spaced apart windows located in the [front panel in registry with the addresses on the enclosure,

flaps extending loosely within the pocket from side ends of the envelope across said windows for individually covering one and the other of said windows when the enclosure is inserted within the pocket with one side end of the enclosure passing in back of one of the flaps and the other side end passing in front of the other flap to conceal one address and expose the other, depending upon which of said addresses is to be used for a mailing address of the envelope, and

a closure flap on the other longitudinal edge of one panel and foldable over the corresponding edge of the other panel for retaining the enclosure.

2. An envelope and an enclosure as describe-d in claim wherein the envelope has greater depth than the enclosure and the enclosure has the addresses located near the edge of said enclosure that first enters the pocket and wit-h said windows located above said interconnected longitudinal edges of the panels to provide postage and return address areas on the front panel between said interconnected longitudinal edges and said windows, and means within the pocket for engaging said edge of the enclosure to support the enclosure with the addresses in registry with the windows. 3. An envelope and an enclosure as described in claim wherein the flaps are connected with side end edges of one panel by folds and extend inwardly between said panels and across the windows of the front panel to terminate in slightly spaced apart relation for providing a slot therebetween in which the midportion of the enclosure passes when positioning the side ends of the enclosure relatively to said flaps, and

adhesive connecting the rear panel with the flaps immediately adjacent the folds to provide said interconnected side ends.

4. In combination, an enclosure having different addresses located on the enclosure in spaced apart substantially horizontal alignment, one or the other of which may be selected for mailing address, and an envelope for said enclosure,

said envelope including a rectangular front panel having spaced windows in registry with the addresses on the enclosure,

a rectangular back panel connected with one edge of the front panel by a .fold along bottom edges thereof,

a closure flap connected with the upper edge of one panel by a fold to fold over the corresponding upper edge of the other panel to close an insert opening to a pocket between said panels, side flaps connected by folds with side end edges of one panel and extending loosely between said panels and across the windows to divide the pocket of the envelope into front and back compartments of near the same size on the respective sides of the flaps and at both ends of the pocket, and

adhesive connecting said other panel with the side flaps immediately adjacent the folds thereof to complete the pocket between said panels,

said side flaps having inner terminal edges spaced slightly apart to provide a slot connecting the front compartments at one side end with the back compartments at the other side end, so that when the side end of the enclosure having the address selected for the mailing address is inserted in a front compartment at that end of the pocket to expose said selected address through the window at that end of the front panel, the midportion of the enclosure is passed through said slot to bring the opposite side end having the other address into the back compartment at the other side end of the envelope to conceal the address thereon by means of the side flap dividing that end of the pocket.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,846,135 8/ 1958 Heirsteine-r 22973 2,941,711 6/ 1960 Rick 22973 2,956,725 10/ 1960 Landry 22972 2,997,225 8/ 1961 Whitman 22971 3,116,010 12/ 1963 Stevenson 22972 FOREIGN PATENTS 293,449 12/ 1953 Switzerland.

JOSEPH R. LEOLAIR, Primary Examiner.

DAVID M. BOCKENEK, Examiner. 

4. IN COMBINATION, AN ENCLOSURE HAVING DIFFERENT ADDRESSES LOACTED ON THE ENCLOSURE IN SPACED APART SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL ALIGNMENT, ONE OR THE OTHER OF WHICH MAY BE SELECTED FOR MAILING ADDRESS, AND AN ENVELOPE FOR SAID ENCLOSURE, SAID ENVELOPE INCLUDING A RECTANGULAR FRONT PANEL HAVING SPACED WINDOWS IN REGISTRY WITH THE ADDRESSES ON THE ENCLOSURE, A RECTANGULAR BACK PANEL CONNECTED WITH ONE EDGE OF THE FRONT PANEL BY A FOLD ALONG THE BOTTOM EDGES OF ONE A CLOSURE FLAP CONNECTED WITH THE UPPER EDGE OF ONE PANEL BY A FOLD TO FOLD OVER THE CORRESPONDING UPPER EDGE OF THE OTHER PANEL TO CLOSE AN INSERT OPENING TO A POCKET BETWEEN SAID PANELS, SIDE FLAPS CONNECTED BY FOLDS WITH SIDE END EDGES OF ONE PANEL AND EXTENDING LOOSELY BETWEEN SAID PANELS AND ACROSS THE WINDOWS TO DIVIDE THE POCKETS OF THE ENVELOPE INTO FRONT AND BACK COMPARTMENTS OF NEAR THE SAME SIZE ON THE RESPECTIVE SIDES OF THE FLAPS AND AT BOTH ENDS OF THE POCKET, AND ADHESIVE CONNECTING SAID OTHER PANEL WITH THE SIDE FLAPS IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT THE FOLDS THEREOF TO COMPLETE THE POCKET BETWEEN SAID PANELS, SAID SIDE FLAPS HAVING INNER TERMINAL EDGES SPACED SLIGHTLY APART TO PROVIDE A SLOT CONNECTING THE FRONT COMPARTMENTS AT ONE SIDE END WITH THE BACK COMPARTMENTS AT THE OTHER SIDE END, SO THAT WHEN THE SIDE END OF THE ENCLOSURE HAVING THE ADDRESS SELECTED FOR THE MAILING ADDRESS IS INSERTED IN A FRONT COMPARTMENT AT THAT END OF THE POCKET TO EXPOSE SAID SELECTED ADDRESS THROUGH THE WINDOW AT THAT END OF THE FRONT PANEL, THE MIDPOINT OF THE ENCLOSURE IS PASSED THROUGH SAID SLOT TO BRING THE OPPOSITE SIDE END HAVING THE OTHER ADDRESS INTO THE BACK COMPARTMENT AT THE OTHER SIDE END OF THE ENVELOPE TO CONCEAL THE ADDRESS THEREON BY MEANS OF THE SIDE FLAP DIVIDING THAT END OF THE POCKET. 